Science
Discover facts about science. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Science
Plasmids transfer genetic code between single cells
While higher organisms have to go through the lengthy, exhausting process of reproduction to mix genetic traits, single-celled organisms just pass them around…
Discover more
Dominant genes mask the traits of recessive alleles
Your genetic instructions operate on a deeply unfair hierarchy where the loudest instructions aggressively silence the others. If you inherit one dominant…
Discover more
Magnetic poles always come in inseparable pairs
You cannot simply break a magnet in half hoping to isolate a rogue north pole from its annoying south pole counterpart. The very second you snap it, the newly…
Discover more
Gene flow introduces fresh DNA into isolated populations
When an isolated group aggressively interbreeds for too long, their genetic diversity tanks and their molecular instructions become dangerously stagnant.…
Discover more
Mutations create entirely new variations of specific genes
Evolution is heavily reliant on the molecular copying machinery occasionally making terrible, highly consequential typos. A random mutation might swap a…
Discover more
Springs store mechanical energy when physically compressed
Taking a heavily coiled piece of tough metal and forcibly crunching it downward does not magically make the applied kinetic effort vanish. The intense…
Discover more
STACKY FOR IPHONEA bigger world.
One discovery
at a time.
Keep discovering with Stacky. Interesting facts in an app that is always within reach.
Electromagnetic induction creates voltage remotely
You do not actually need to physically plug something in to generate an intense electrical current. By simply waving a powerful magnet past a dense coil of…
Discover more
Bottleneck events reduce overall genetic diversity
When a massive disaster randomly wipes out the vast majority of a population, natural selection basically takes a coffee break. The lucky few who survive do…
Discover more
DNA profiling relies on unique repeating sequences
Since every human shares the vast majority of their genetic code, comparing the important stuff is incredibly useless for telling people apart. Instead,…
Discover more
When solid ground turns into liquid mud
Building heavily reinforced structures on seemingly solid, densely packed earth is generally smart until intense vibrations enter the equation. During massive…
Discover more
Copper wiring conducts electricity better than iron
Not all metals are thrilled about passing energetic charges along to their neighbors. Iron stubbornly holds onto its electrons, heavily resisting the flow and…
Discover more
You're not being thrown outward in a sharp turn
When you take a sharp turn in a rapidly moving car, you strongly feel a mysterious force violently shoving you outward toward the heavy door. That outward…
Discover more
Radon gas silently accumulates in residential basements
Nature's premier home invader is entirely invisible and odorless. Radon is a naturally radioactive gas that constantly seeps out of rocks and soil directly…
Discover more
Why moose drop their antlers every winter
Imagine carrying a 40-pound bone chandelier on your forehead for months, only to get sick of it and pop it off. Every single winter, male moose experience a…
Discover more
Asparagus can grow an inch in an hour
While most vegetables prefer a slow, tedious life, asparagus is in a desperate rush. Under ideal warm conditions, an asparagus stalk can shoot up an…
Discover more
Why hydrogen fires can disappear in daylight
Fire is supposed to give you a visual warning, but hydrogen didn't get the memo. When pure hydrogen gas burns, the flame is almost entirely invisible in…
Discover more
Apples are part of the rose family
Next time you bite into a Honeycrisp, just remember you're eating a bloated flower. Taxonomically, apples, along with pears, plums, and cherries, sit…
Discover more
How grasshoppers turn into locust swarms
When these grasshoppers get crowded, their brains flip a sinister switch that turns them into ravenous flying monsters. They blot out the sun and aggressively…
Discover more
What creates the blue haze over mountain ridges
That gorgeous, mystical blue fog hovering over forested mountain ranges isn't magic, it's just tree sweat. Trees constantly expel massive amounts of an…
Discover more
African elephants travel hundreds of miles seeking water
Guided entirely by the memory of the oldest female, enormous mammals angrily trek across sun-baked dirt just to find a muddy puddle. If the matriarch forgets…
Discover more
Arctic terns fly enormous distances across the globe
Refusing to ever experience a mild chill, these overachieving birds chase endless daylight. They travel from the top of the world to the bottom endlessly,…
Discover more
A kangaroo pouch is dirtier than you think
Cartoons lied to you. A kangaroo pouch isn't a fluffy, cozy pocket. It is essentially a sweaty, hairless skin sack entirely coated in brown, pungent sweat and…
Discover more
A 20-minute trip can take tortoises weeks
Moving at a spectacularly pathetic speed, these ancient giants trudge up and down harsh volcanic slopes. A journey that would take a human roughly twenty…
Discover more
The tiny carbon molecule shaped like a soccer ball
Sometimes chemistry has a sense of humor. Buckminsterfullerene, also known as a 'buckyball', is an entirely natural molecule where 60 carbon atoms…
Discover more